The fifth annual Big Data Congress, to be held in Halifax Nov. 6 to 8, will feature noteworthy speakers to illuminate its focus on oceans and agriculture.

The speakers include keynote Rebecca Costa, an internationally renowned American sociobiologist, author and speaker. Costa is described as a provocative new voice in the mold of Thomas Friedman, Malcom Gladwell and Jared Diamond.

Costa applies lessons learned from nature to the disruption many industries face: from healthcare, finance, manufacturing, food processing, energy and social services to education, governance, transportation, technology and retail.

Costa’s book, The Watchman’s Rattle: A Radical New Theory of Collapse, was published in 26 countries and has remained in the top 1 percent of Amazon book sales for five straight years.

A second keynote, Tim o’Shea is the founder and CEO of San Francisco-based CleanFish, which works at creating market solutions to the crises in our oceans.

CleanFish promotes a network of responsible producers for eco-savvy chefs, market buyers and seafood lovers. The brand platform rewards better stewardship of ocean resources with premium brand positioning.

Since T4G President Geoff Flood launched the Congress in Saint John in 2012, it has sought to bring together the tech community and potential end-users of data analytics technology.

Its goal is to help traditional businesses, government and organizations understand how Big Data can assist them.

Congress Chair Michael Shepherd, former Dean of Computer Science at Dalhousie University, recently told Entrevestor that he is especially excited about the focus on the primary industries of oceans and agriculture at this year’s event.

“They are very important sectors here in the Maritimes,” said Shepherd, who oversaw the creation of Dalhousie’s Institute of Big Data Analytics during his tenure as Dean. He added that a central theme will be food security, which is important in both sectors.

As well as the keynotes, the event will bring together many global and regional thinkers and innovators to discuss what Big Data is and the global role it can play around oceans and agricultural industries.

The event will feature examples of data technology at work in Atlantic Canada and around the world, and discuss the shared benefits that accrue when the private and public sectors work collaboratively to solve real world challenges.

You can purchase tickets here.

Disclosure: The Big Data Congress is a client of Entrevestor.